‘Stand down, Imps,’ is all Araf had to say and they lowered their weapons.
‘Prince Araf and Prince Conor,’ the sentry said, doing a bowing thing, ‘Lady Deirdre and Lady Nieve have instructed us to keep a watch out for you.’
‘Lady Nieve is here?’
‘Yes, sirs; she arrived yesterday.’
‘Go back to your posts.’
The soldiers snapped-to and double-timed it back to their hiding places.
We cantered into camp. I wanted to gallop – I really needed a bath.
The bath was obviously going to have to wait. Mom was waiting for us outside the library and she wasn’t in a hospitable mood. She rudely dismissed Araf and Brendan in a very queen-like fashion. I was jealous – I would have loved to have been dismissed.
‘Did you learn anything?’ she asked even before I entered the room. ‘Where is Spideog?’
‘Hi, Mom, I’m fine, knackered but fine – oh yes I’d love a cup,’ I said in one breath, as I kissed Mom.
‘Hello, Auntie,’ I said, planting a kiss on her cheek as I passed.
I collapsed on a sofa. The two of them stood in front of me like I was in trouble. I expected them to accuse me of nicking mead out of the pantry.
‘What?’
‘Oisin is getting worse,’ Nieve said as Mom looked away.
I didn’t jump up or shout – I just dropped my head in my hand and rubbed my eyes. Of course Dad was getting worse. Nothing, and I mean nothing, had gone right since I had gotten back to The Land – I should have expected this. I clamped my molars together to stop a flow of tears. ‘Fand said he could stay like that for ever.’
‘We thought he could. No one has ever frozen a person in Shadowmagic before.’
‘How bad is he?’
Mom came over and hugged me. ‘Not too bad,’ she said. ‘It is very slow. It took Fand this long to notice anything at all but it means that our time is not infinite. We need to find a cure.’
‘Have you found anything in the Shadowbooks since I’ve been away?’
Mom shook her head, an exhausted No. ‘What have you learned?’
I told Mom the whole story of our welcome at the Yew House, and the loss of Spideog. I left out the part about almost slipping off the edge of a cliff to our deaths so as not to unduly worry her. Finally I showed her the knife and the message that was within it.
Mom examined the knife in silence for a long time and then handed it to Nieve. Finally Mom straightened up and with the same queenly conviction that she had shown my companions earlier, said, ‘You leave for the Pinelands tomorrow.’
I instantly changed from a son to a loyal subject. I stood, said, ‘Yes, ma’am,’ then hugged her.
On the way out the door Nieve pointed out that I could use a bath.
Chapter Seventeen
Pop-head
When I first came to The Land the dreams completely freaked me out, which was understandable. I never had a dream until I came to Tir na Nog. When I found out that dreams often gave me glimpses into the future I thought they were cool, but since I have discovered that a lot of dreams are just jumbled images of stuff that’s rattling around in my noggin, they’re starting to really annoy me. That night I dreamt about the usual stuff: Dad encased in amber, Essa walking with the invisible man, and of course the perennial favourite of Fergal with a Banshee blade sticking out of his chest. But then there were others that I couldn’t begin to figure out. One was of a bear that then turned into a fox that then turned into an eagle. And then there was a rowboat that rowed itself to the shore where Cialtie was waiting for it. What the heck was that all about? The other problem is that sometimes the dreams get so intense that I wake up less rested than when I went to bed.
As if the dreams weren’t exhausting enough, Mom woke me before dawn. ‘Get up,’ she said, shaking me, ‘get up now if you want time for breakfast before you leave for the Pinelands.’
‘Oh no,’ I said, shaking the visions out of my head, ‘I haven’t had a bath yet.’
‘There is no time for that,’ she said, turning to go. ‘Your party is preparing to leave now.’
I got up with only my blanket wrapped around me and ran to the bath house just in time to see Brendan leaving damp and happy. He was still steaming.
‘Good morning, Conor,’ he said, rubbing his hair with a towel. ‘Man, I can’t tell you how good a hot bath feels.’
I pushed past him. The Leprechaun that runs the bath house spotted me and said, ‘Oh, I didn’t know there was going to be anyone else this morning. I’ll have some more hot water in an hour.’
I ran back to my tent and got dressed. I was going to have my breakfast and then a bath and there was no power in The Land that was going to stop me.
Brendan was the only person in the canteen that I recognised. I got some food and sat down next to him.
‘How come you had a bath so early this morning?’
‘Araf, your mother and molten gold lady-’
‘Auntie Nieve.’
‘Yeah her. They had a meeting last night. After the meeting Araf told me that you were going to the Pinelands this morning. So I got up early to be ready.’
‘Why didn’t you tell me?’
‘You were asleep. What was I supposed to do, wake you up and tell you to have a bath?’
‘YES.’
‘OK,’ the cop said, taking out an imaginary notepad and pen, ‘let me just note that down for next time.’
‘Do you know what is going on?’
‘No, your mother still doesn’t seem to ike me that much. I tried to go to the meeting with Araf but she wouldn’t let me in.’
Mom appeared just as I was finishing breakfast.
‘Come, Conor.’
‘Sorry, Mom, I’m off to a bath.’
‘This is more important.’
‘I beg to differ,’ I said but followed her anyway.
Brendan fell into step next to me. When Mom gave him a dirty look I said, ‘How many times do I have to tell you that he is with me?’
She backed down and I wondered if I had picked the wrong battle to win with my mother. I’d ditch Brendan in a second if it meant I could soak under some warm suds.
Araf and Nieve were mounted up when I got to the corral. ‘Have you ever been on time?’ Nieve asked.
‘On time? On time for what?’
Brendan brought out Acorn and Cloud and handed me Acorn’s reins. He was saddled and packed with full supplies.
Mom slid the strap of a full satchel on my shoulder.
‘You looked so tired last night I had my men pack some warm clothes for you while I let you sleep.’
‘Mom, it’s not sleep I needed – it’s a bath.’
‘You should have thought of that earlier,’ said a voice using a familiar tone. There behind me was Essa, dressed, mounted and ready to go. ‘If you think we are going to wait while you lounge under hot water – you have another thought coming.’
I turned back to Mom. ‘Essa?’
‘Essa is your guide.’
‘I thought you were coming.’
